Controlling Image File Size
To keep the galleries usable for folks on dial-up connections, and to keep our bandwidth usage reasonable,
we ask that you limit the size of most of your images to 200 KB or less.
Here are some suggestions if you find that your file is too large (much of it "borrowed" from Hugh's forum post on Save for Web):
If you're using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements
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First, resize your image so that it's about 800 pixels or less on the long side. It's ok if it's
a little larger, but it will be easier to stay under the file size limit if the image isn't too large.
To resize an image in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements:
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Select something like "Image/Image Size" or
"Image/Resize/Image Size" from the menu. The exact wording varies with the version you have.
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Make sure that "Constrain Proportions" and "Resample Image" are both checked.
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Set the width to about 800 (or the height, if it's a portrait mode image). The other dimension
will be changed automatically.
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Click OK.
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If you're using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, use "Save for Web" to save your image as a JPG:
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Select File/Save for Web from the main Photoshop or Elements Menu.
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Click the "Two-Up" tab. This will let you see the "before" and "after" compression
versions so you will be able to see if you have over-compressed.
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Click the tiny arrow at the upper right corner of the the display window. A drop-down will
allow you to select "Uncompensated color".
Then click the arrow again and select "56.6 Kbps Download Time".
This will allow you to see how long it will take dial-up folks to load your picture.
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Specify a file format of JPEG.
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Click "Quality" and use the slider to adjust the image until it will load in less than 30 seconds.
For most pictures this will be 50%-70%.
You can make the image file size smaller by adjusting to a smaller percentage, watching the
"after" version to be sure image quality doesn't suffer. I don't go below 50%.
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Save the file.
If you're using some other image-editing program
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First, resize your image so that it's about 800 pixels or less on the long side. It's ok if it's
a little larger, but it will be easier to stay under the file size limit if the image isn't too large. If you
don't know how to resize an image, consult the Help feature of your image-editing program.
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When you have the image sized correctly, save it as a JPG, setting the compression or
quality level somewhere between 5 and 8.
Use your browser's Back button to return to where you were, or go to
the Gallery Rules
or the Gallery Tips.